A steering system in a motor vehicle converts a steering wheel angle of a steering wheel into a steering angle of a steered wheel in order to control a yaw angle of the motor vehicle. The yaw angle refers to a rotation of the motor vehicle about the vertical axis thereof. The practice of intervening in the steering system during certain maneuvers in order to maintain directional stability of the motor vehicle is known. If the steering wheel is turned quickly and then released when traveling at high speed, for example, the change of direction of the motor vehicle may escalate, with the risk that the vehicle will break away or tip over. This effect can be reinforced by a suspension system of the motor vehicle with springs between the body and wheels.
To avoid such uncontrollable driving states, the steering system is usually damped at a constant rate with a predetermined factor. The damping can prevent overshooting of the steering angle or of the yaw angle and thus stabilize the motor vehicle. However, the disadvantage of this is that the damping is active throughout driving operation and can have a negative effect on the feel of the steering. This can be perceived as troublesome by a driver of the motor vehicle, especially at relatively low speeds.
DE 10 2009 009 032 A1, which is incorporated by reference herein, shows a method for detecting yawing oscillations of a motor vehicle when a driver has released the steering wheel. In this case, characteristics of the steering angle, of the steering torque and of the angular steering acceleration are detected and analyzed so as to be able to predict the occurrence of yawing oscillations. It is proposed to actively compensate a detected yawing oscillation.
WO 2006/064343, which is incorporated by reference herein, shows technology for influencing a steering system of a motor vehicle, wherein a steering wheel force required to change the steering angle is reduced if it has been detected that the driver is no longer gripping the steering wheel. An auxiliary drive is provided to reduce the required force.